Chapter 9 Reflection Questions
http://pacek.tripod.com/WHSpage/lordquest.htm
- The Lord of the Flies' prediction that Simon would be killed by the other boys proves to be accurate. Did you expect this, or were you surprised? Was Simon interfering, something the Lord of the Flies warned him against, or was he trying to save them all from the real beast, themselves?
- What is the significance of the figure on the mountain dropping onto the beach and then washing out to sea? Remember Simon's efforts to cry out his news to the chanting, dancing tribesmen.
1) I was surprised by Simon's murder. I suppose that I should have known by the foreshadowing from the Lord of the Flies' but I figured it was only a prediction. I had no idea that the boys were capable of such a severe type of brutality, especially after the incident with the young boy by the fire. Most of the group seemed shaken up by his
ReplyDelete"disappearance", so this proves that they are growing more brutal by the day if they are now comfortable with murder.
I don't think that Simon was interfering. He was ironicly trying to help keep the others safe when they beat him to death. He was innocently trying to warn the group of the beast that he discovered. Even if he had been interfering as the Lord of the Flies' warned, he, by no means, deserved to die.
Just wait until Chapter 11 ...
DeleteI was very surprised by Simons death. I thought symbollically Simon would've been killed, like the boys doing something to the island since Simon is so in tune with nature. I think he was trying to save them all from themselves and how evil the boys can be towards each other. The question that's mainly burning in the back of my head is how are the boys going to cover this up? When the younger boy died, the boys just ignored it, but with Simons death, a lot of people witnessed it. Wasn't the boy that died also related to Simon? If I'm right, that's some great irony that Golding put into the story.
ReplyDeleteIs this what we do, symbolically, to those in our society who dare to speak the truth? Do we not revile and, figuratively, tear them limb from limb?
Delete"OMFG THEY KILLED SIMON", was my reaction while reading this. I did not expect him to die. I understand it was predicted by The Lord of the Flies, yet it still caught me off guard. The manner in which he was brutally murdered was expected though. From my reading perspective, he was trying to save them from self affliction on themselves, and that is simply the logic in my head rejecting the idea of an external and super natural evil, and I assume Simon understands that the evil is within the boys themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe significance in the parachutist washing out to sea, like Simon, is that it removes the proof of the beast being a figment of their imagination. The deity that Jack's tribal instinct may very well still be alive for all the boys are concerned.
Simon's washing away also has a religious connotation -- just as Jesus was, according to scripture, taken bodily into heaven.
DeleteThe parachutist washing out to sea is the erasing of the only proof the beast does not exist. This occurrence can mean two different things, one Jack is gaining more power and two the hope civilization can survive is dwindling. By this point, the boys in Jack's camp are inhuman savages, and Ralph's few remaining allies have dwindling spirits and consider joining Jack. Jack uses the beasts existence to gain more power. The beast allows for Jack to unite a group under one common enemy (the beast), a common belief (whether the beast exists) and reasons to obey Jack (protection from the beast).
ReplyDeleteThe parachutist can also symbolize civilization disappearing. When Simon goes to report his findings to the group the are so caught up in the reenactment they end up brutally killing him and not yet realizing what they have done. The book said the boys stabbed and bit Simon. This uncivilized act can question whether or not the boys are turning into animals.
Good analysis of the parachutist. With his exit, external evil (society) leaves the island, and all that remains is internal evil (the boys).
Delete1. I was very surprised that they killed Simon. I probably should've seen it coming though, I just didn't think the boys would become as savage as they have to kill one of there own purposely.
ReplyDeleteI really think that the whole "Beast" thing is a load of crap. The boys are becoming beasts themselves. I have noi idea how they could just cold blooded-ly kill one of there friends. HE was trying to help them and tell them that there was no beast and that they were safe. what the boys did was terrible he didn't deserve to die at all, he was helping the boys.
Yes! Golding is saying there IS no external evil. It all comes from inside us. Hence, the "beast" is within us all.
DeleteThis chapter is the darkest one in the book yet. The boys have become completely savage after Jack's split from the group. Most of the boys have joined him and accepted his ways of savagery, erasing any hope of a civilized structure on the island.
ReplyDeleteThe first savage act of the new "tribe" is the murder of Simon. The Lord of the Flies' prediction was a warning of the savagery that was to come on the island. The irony is that Simon finds proof that the beast was just a dead parachutist, but is killed as he tries to get his words out. The storm then drags the bodies of the parachutist and Simon out to sea, leaving no proof that there is no beast. Now the boys will have to continue to live in doubt and act like savages.
The only remaining tie to civilization is Ralph (and his few comrades) and his desire to keep a fire going and find rescue.
Remember, Golding's premise here is that evil is internal, not external. We don't need a "beast" outside the boys; he's right there inside them -- and us, according to the author.
DeleteI did not expect this. When he found out that it was just the parachutist I was expecting for him to go tell the group about it then everyone to go back to Ralph. I feel that he was trying to save them from becoming even more drenched in fear of the beast, but when he sees how wild they became he realized that he must explain to save them from themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen the parachutist drops off the mountain and into the sea, it forever locks the fear of the beast in them and will never know the truth. The only evidence they had was him and Simon, who are both gone now. I think this will snowball into complete chaos and everyone will end up dead.
That's an interesting prediction. See if you think Golding gets the ending right, or if he wimps out in the final pages.
DeleteSimon's death was unexpected in that I see him as a protagonist and I wanted him to show the Lord of the Flies that he was wrong. Simon was foretold to be killed by the others like a prophecy. He's a tragic hero like Oedipus, who wanted to help others and ended up having evil committed (which is shown how Simon was trying to calm their fears of the beast, then interrupted their savage ceremony and was murdered). He was trying to tell everyone that the beastie was actually a dead body and could do no harm. Then when it dropped off the mountain into the sea it erased any evidence of the truth. Since Simon represents the religious aspect, it's as if the divine truth died with him, leaving the others to dark savagery.
ReplyDeleteNice comparison to Oedipus, Joey. Simon, like Oedipus, is only trying to uncover the truth, and he is punished horribly for it.
DeleteTo me Simon's death was expected. The boys were slipping into savagery and this was just the event that really declared them as savages. Simon was trying to help and tell the boys that the beast wasn't a real beast. This would have helped the boys become more peaceful and less savage because they are not living in fear. I guess Simon should've just told Ralph and his friends and stayed in their group. This would have given him peace that he helped and he could've kept his life. But if Simon thought highly of the Lord of the Flies, he should've just listened and not interfered. This would have also prevented him losing his life. At this point it seems that the smarter kids will and should just keep to themselves and wait for rescue and just try to stay alive by themselves.
ReplyDeleteLet's see if your prediction about the smarter kids comes true in the last few chapters, Connor.
DeleteI actually wasn't that surprised when Simon was killed in the savage attack by his comrades who thought he was the beast. However, I think they knew the beast was Simon, but caught up into the moment, chanting under the dark sky, made the figure become the beast for fear of it still existing. I still think Simon is an innocent character, and he was just trying to save the boys from becoming savage, fearful characters of the "beast" on the mountaintop. He may have not listened to what the Lord of the Flies said, but I think by doing so he would have slipped into the real darkness, the evil. The beast on the island has not become the parachutist, or the pig head, but the boys themselves.
ReplyDeleteMass hysteria as an excuse for murder, eh? It's been used before ...
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